Unlocking Cage
by spadefantasy
Summary: Johnny Cage: the blue-eyed actor from Venice, California. Famous for hits such as Ninja Mime and Time Smashers. But who was he before his career? Who was he before the infamous Mortal Kombat tournament? What was his life before any fame?


**NOTE: Mortal Kombat and its characters do not belong to me. Only the plot and OCs used in this do.**

**New story based around Johnny Cage's life of Mortal Kombat. It'll probably be updated slowly since I'm working on this along side my next Lara Croft/Nathan Drake fanfic. Anyway, this is an origin story type of thing because why not. I thought it'd be interesting. First chapter is short but it's an introduction type of thing. Enjoy!**

* * *

The alarm clock sounded like Johnny was on a sinking ship. When he finally turned it off, it hit him that winter break was finally over. He would be back in school today. He sat up in bed and looked down at his feet, staying there for a few minutes. He really didn't want to go. He hated the prison that people called the "best days" of their lives.

_Is my education really worth it? _he thought to himself, continuing his great stare into nothingness. His vision had grown blurry as he zoned out. _Ohmygod, I really don't want to go._

Taking a deep breath, he finally stood up and accepted his defeat. He would have to go to school or his parents would be pissed. He walked out of his bedroom and made his way into his bathroom, looking in the mirror and tilting his head. Uncombed hair. Dark circles under his eyes. A breakout on his forehead. Yes, this was definitely a school morning.

He grabbed his toothbrush and turned the water on, wetting the bristles before he put some toothpaste on them. After running the toothbrush under the water one more time, he began to brush his teeth. He squinted as he looked at himself in the mirror.

_I look awful, _he thought, spitting out the toothpaste. He washed his mouth out and grabbed his comb to brush his hair, yawning. He could hear his parents downstairs as he got ready. He put his comb down after he finished with his hair, washing his face soon after. He was ready to get the day over with. After finishing up in the bathroom, he stumbled back into his bedroom.

He opened his closet to pick out what he would wear, looking over some shirts before he grabbed a basic graphic tee and put it on. He slipped on a pair of jeans as well, along with some tennis shoes, before snatching up his bookbag and making his way downstairs. His mother had just finished cooking up breakfast. His father sat at the kitchen table reading a newspaper. He realized he felt like he was in some coming of age movie. He sat down at the table and set his bag at his feet.

His mother set their plates down on the table. "Are you excited for school, John?" she asked, smiling at him as she sat down. He looked over at her. Why was she asking this question? Wasn't the answer obvious?"

"No," he replied, grabbing his fork. He began to eat his scrambled eggs, even though he didn't really like scrambled eggs.

"Rose, you should know by now that he hates school," Johnny's father muttered, folding his newspaper up and placing it on the table.

"Well, I thought maybe he would be excited to see some of his friends, Robert," Rose pointed out, starting to eat with the others.

Johnny ate a strip of bacon. He wished that he didn't have to go to school. Everything about school seemed so awful to him at that very moment. He continued to eat, but he felt like he was lost in his own world as he dreaded the social life that surrounded high school. It only felt like a few seconds had gone by before he found himself sitting in his car at the school parking lot.

His car was parked, silent. He had already taken the key out of the ignition, yet his hands were on the steering wheel, gripping it tightly. He groaned, hitting his forehead against it.

"Fuck," he said, repeating it as he whipped his head back into his carseat. "Fuck!"

He heard tapping on his window then, stopping his struggle and looking over to see his friend, Jake. He sighed heavily, rolling the window down for him. He made a face, obviously still annoyed about being there.

"Happy first day back," Jake joked, leaning into the window a bit.

"How much did you see?" Johnny asked.

"All of it."

Johnny rolled the window back up and got out of his car, his book bag slung over one shoulder. He slammed the car door and started to walk with his friend towards the school building, running a hand through his hair. Jake smirked, finding how his friend was reacting rather amusing.

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad," Jake reminded him, elbowing him in the side.

Johnny looked at the other students they passed as they walked, realizing that nothing had really changed during break. "It _is _that bad. I hate this place," he argued. "Name one good thing that comes out of high school."

Jake began to think, gripping the straps of his own bag that hung on his shoulders. "People?" he suggested, looking to his friend for validation. Johnny only scoffed. "Friendships?"

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Get real."

There was a moment of silence before the two stopped dead in their tracks in the hall. Part of Johnny felt bad for acting so bitter, but he hated school. It felt miserable. Nothing there felt good to him. He sighed and gave his friend a small smile to make up for how he had been acting.

"Sorry," he said, trying to lighten his mood. "I'm just mad about being here again."

"Understandable," the other laughed. "Let's hope for survival."

"Right."

* * *

By the time lunch came, Johnny already began to feel better from how he did that morning. While he was still waiting for the end of the school day, he was able to at least tolerate his distaste. Sitting with his friends at their usual table, he opened up his milk carton and took a sip.

"So, the talent show is gonna be in a few months," Jake grinned, in which the others were excited in hearing. "Are we gonna enter it? I mean… a band needs an audience."

"We totally should," Travis, the drummer of said band, commented.

Johnny sighed, shrugging in response. He wasn't too sure. "I don't know if my dad would be into it," he admitted. He set his milk down and took a fry into his mouth. Jake rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"What parent cares about their kid being in a talent show?" he asked.

"One that doesn't want his kid to have anything to do with the entertainment industry," Johnny replied in annoyance. His father was against any type of job that involved a risky career. Johnny knew his father disliked his hobby of music, especially after he had suggested the possibility of trying to go into a music career in the future.

Pamela, the bass player, gave Johnny a smile. "Oh, come on, I'm sure a talent show won't kill anyone," she reassured him. The three of them all began to agree with her, saying how it would be fun. They were trying desperately to get Johnny to agree to the idea.

Huffing, he put his hands up in defeat, shaking his head. "Fine," he grumbled. "We'll do it."

"Good," Jake smiled. "We need our singer, you know."

"Uh-huh," Johnny simply replied. He looked away for a moment and began to scan the cafeteria. It felt the same as it always did. It was crazy to him that, as a junior, nothing had changed. Everything felt similar. The days mushed together. Nothing at this school ever differentiated. He was sure that would never change. But he seeked change and to have something new and exciting happen in his life.

This school felt like a typical coming-of-age movie. He disliked how the cliches and cliques existed in real life. One table was the jocks. Another was the cheerleaders. The popular kids. The geeks. The weirdos. The loners. Everything felt artificial. It felt fake. He hated this fucking school.

He looked back to his friends and gave a weak smile. "We'll have to practice a lot before the show," he reminded them.

"We'll be fine," Pamela said, obviously believing in the band.

"Oh, I'm sure," Travis agreed.

Johnny looked down at his food after nodding. The food looked unappetizing but he still ate it regardless.

* * *

Johnny was happy when school was finally out. It felt like a miracle. He was free from the prison that forced him to learn things he could care less about. He had decided to hang out at Jake's house for a little before heading home first, considering he just wanted to chill.

"Are you gonna tell your dad about our talent show ordeal?" Jake asked with a smirk, throwing his book bag on the ground as they entered his room. Johnny set his own on the ground as well, next to his friend's guitar, watching Jake jump on his bed. Johnny sat down at the desk chair.

"I'll tell my mom," he said. "Who in turn will tell my dad."

"Your dad's a major dick."

"I know."

"He should just lay off."

"I wish," Johnny murmured. "He'd rather me be one of those fucks on Wall Street."

Jake made a face. It was obvious how he felt about that statement. Neither of them liked the idea of being one of those people. It was totally not their style in any sense. Jake laid back in his bed, kicking his shoes off as he looked to his friend.

"Your dad's a nutcase if he thinks you'd ever do that," he cackled.

Johnny nodded. "I think he knows I won't," he explained. "It's why we're always butting heads." He leaned back in the chair. It was annoying to always be arguing with his father sometimes. His dad seemed to never like what Johnny himself liked.

Jake shook his head. "He's gonna have to get with it, ain't he?" he joked, raising a brow. "So what if you don't wanna be one of those pretentious assholes."

"You know, he has this saying…" Johnny began, crossing his ankles as he stretched his legs out. "'Hungry people eat lunch, humble people serve it.'"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Johnny was quiet for a moment. What did it mean? Did it mean anything to him? He looked at his feet, silent and unsure. When he looked back up at his friend, he shrugged.

"I don't really know," he admitted. "I don't think I want to."

* * *

**Future chapters will be longer. I just wanted to get an introduction to this at least. This will be following Johnny from his teen years and up. **


End file.
